House plants have always been a top tier purchase for most people.
Such foliage has traditionally brought life and color to even the dullest of abodes, but if the past few years of Insta-scrolling and influencer-content has shown us anything, it is that young folk are taking the love of the humble house plant to new heights.
Plant moms, TikTok tips, and naming your first pot akin to your firstborn - younger generations have emerged as the unlikely champions of herbage. Just what is it about plants that millennials are so obsessed with?
Writing for Growing Together, Don Kinzler says that millennials are largely delaying traditional milestones like having babies, getting married, and buying homes (because they cannot afford to) and instead are turning to plants for a sense of connection that is otherwise not available.
"Plants usually require less immediate attention than other living things, such as pets," he writes. "In fact, plants are becoming substitutes, at least temporarily, for both pets and kids. Houseplants don’t die or soil the rug if you’re gone for several days."
What is more is that plants are, within reason, allowed in rental properties. Landlords have long been determining what can and cannot be brought into their generously overpriced (and generally under-maintained) houses. No pets, no wall fixtures, and certainly smoking. But plants? Sure, everyone can have a plant.
However, according to Don, there is something else that is encouraging millennials' deep-rooted love of all things green - the fact that we can learn how to care for them appropriately without ever leaving our homes.
Read the complete article at www.her.ie.
